For the first time in The Meteoritical Society’s more than 90-year history, an Indian woman has been elected Fellow.
Kuljeet Kaur Marhas is a professor in the Planetary Science Division at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad.
Source: X/PRL AhmedabadProfessor Kuljeet Kaur Marhas has scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to be elected Fellow of The Meteoritical Society, one of the world’s most respected honours in meteoritics and planetary science.
Her work has contributed significantly to cosmochemistry and planetary material analysis while strengthening India’s presence in global planetary science research.
A career shaped by research and learningApart from being elected Fellow of The Meteoritical Society, Prof. Marhas is also a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union.
For the first time in The Meteoritical Society’s more than 90-year history, an Indian woman has been elected Fellow. Professor Kuljeet Kaur Marhas, whose work studies ancient extraterrestrial material and the origins of the Solar System, is now among a select group of global scientists shaping the future of planetary science.
Kuljeet Kaur Marhas is a professor in the Planetary Science Division at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. Source: X/PRL Ahmedabad
Professor Kuljeet Kaur Marhas has scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to be elected Fellow of The Meteoritical Society, one of the world’s most respected honours in meteoritics and planetary science.
The recognition places her among a distinguished group of global scientists whose work has shaped the understanding of planetary materials and the origins of the Solar System.
Founded in 1933, The Meteoritical Society has been electing Fellows for more than 90 years. It is an an international organization dedicated to the promotion of research and education in planetary science with emphasis on the studies of meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials that further our understanding of the origin of the solar system.
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In its history, Prof. Marhas is only the third Indian scientist to receive the honour after the late Devendra Lal and JN Goswami.
Prof. Marhas is a professor in the Planetary Science Division at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad. Over the decades, she has worked extensively on analysing ancient extraterrestrial material to better understand how planets, asteroids and the Solar System evolved over 4.5 billion years ago.
Studying the earliest building blocks of the Solar System
Prof. Marhas is globally recognised for her work on short-lived radionuclides and stable isotopes found in extraterrestrial materials. Her research includes pre-solar grains, Calcium-Aluminum-rich Inclusions (CAIs), chondrules and organic matter present in meteorites.
She has also studied samples returned from major space missions including Stardust, Hayabusa and the Apollo programme.
Using advanced Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) and nanoSIMS techniques, she has examined isotopic signatures preserved in ancient space material. Her findings have helped scientists understand the formation and evolution of the Solar System in greater detail.
Her work has contributed significantly to cosmochemistry and planetary material analysis while strengthening India’s presence in global planetary science research.
A career shaped by research and learning
Apart from being elected Fellow of The Meteoritical Society, Prof. Marhas is also a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union. She has received the Devendra Lal Memorial Medal for her contributions to the field.
Reacting to the honour, Prof. Marhas said, “It’s a testament to the vibrant research environment at the Physical Research Laboratory and the incredible potential of planetary sciences in India. Our work with extraterrestrial materials isn’t just about looking at the past, it’s about charting the future of planetary exploration,” as per the reports of India Today.
Her academic journey began with a B.Sc. from Holkar Science College in Indore between 1990 and 1993, followed by an M.Sc. from Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya, Indore. She completed her Ph.D. at the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, between 1996 and 2001.
More recently, she was a Fulbright Fellow at the Carnegie Institute of Sciences in Washington D.C. during 2022-2023.
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